Hundreds of women from anti-liquor movement in Rambhadeipur panchayat under Jagatsinghpur block on Friday staged a road blockade at Dhanipur on Cuttack-Machhagaon NH-55 demanding complete ban of liquor sale in their areas.
As a result, traffic movements were completely paralyzed for about three hours. Later police and local magistrate rushed to the spot and held discussion with agitators following which the stir was called off.
Reports said that due to flourishing liquor sale in their panchayat, the women members from different SHGs of Rambhadeipur village, mainly Dalit women, have started a drive for complete ban of wine over last two weeks. As a consequence, booming liquor trade in panchayat has completely stopped, but on Thursday night the women folk could know that about 20 cartoons of liquor were stored in a house.
The women groups rushed to the spot and overpowered the liquor vendor and telephoned police but the cops at Jagatsinghpur police station did not respond. After waiting for a few hours seeking police arrival at the spot, the aggrieved women returned homes and decided to stage the road blockade, informed anti- liquor activist Kusuma Bhoi from Rambhadeipur.